Lintian woke up the next morning in the hospital bed again. His shows no emotion what so ever. He was feeling lethargic. His eyes shows no hint of rage, optimism, regret, or any emotions. It was even deader than a doll’s plastic eyes.

He just turns his head and looks out the window at the bright sunny world outside.

The door squeaks open a couple minutes later and Chelsie strolls in with some food. Followed by Alex, Celyis, and Diana.

“Hey Lintian we brought some food its all your favorites!” Chelsie came barging in with an enthusiastic attitude.

Lintian didn't even react to their voices.

Seeing him act this way they were all worried.

“Hey man Chelsie is talking to you,” Alex said putting his hand on Lintian’s shoulder.

Diana could feel the similarity between Lintian’s unresponsive body language and her aunt’s. Her aunt reacted the same way after her husband did some bad stuff and left her. She died a year ago and Diana was still 6 when it happened. She listened around and people say that she was suffering from depression after her husband left.

Lintian shifts his gaze but his face looks like a man that was beaten down by society.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Chelsey asks.

“I’m fine.”

Try to keep the mood upbeat Chelsie said happily, “look Lintian I brought you some food that your mom said you would love!”

Lintian clenched his teeth tightly as sorrow swell in his chest but his eyes show rage.

“Leave me alone,” Lintian murmurs.

It seems that Chelsie didn't hear and continues, “oh here is the ginger and scallion lobster, raging cow steak cooked medium, and golden egg rice.”

“I said leave me alone!” Lintian shouts and pushes Chelsie away. Chelsie fell backwards and landed on his butt as the food spill everywhere.

“Hey what wrong with you! She is just trying to help!” Alex yells at the top of his lungs while grabbing the collar of Lintian’s shit.

“Shut up! Shut up!” Lintian screams. He didn’t want to hear it anymore. Every single word he hears brought back a piece of memory that brought more and more unbearable mental pain. I had been trying to suppress his emotions the moment he woke up.

“Say your sorry to her!” Alex screams.

“Its fine,” Chelsie said trying to calm Alex down.

Turning those raw depressing emotions into rage Lintian yells, “and what are you going to do about it?” His eyes fierce and full of rage.

“I,” Alex stutters realizing what is he going to do about?

“Your cultivation not even in the martial realm yet and you claim that you're the strongest? You’re just trash!” Lintian said. Right now he just wants to hurt others like how he is feeling right now.

“You!” Alex screams and threw a sucker punch across Lintian’s face.

Lintian saw the punch coming considering how slow it was. Lintian didn’t flinch at all and welcomed it with open arms.

The punch lands but Lintian didn't even budge. It tinkled a bit and that was it. How can someone one the third of the refinement realm possible hurt a martial realm practitioner who had an Asura’s body and whose body had been refined by the lightning essence?

“Pathetic,” Lintian mutters. “All talk and no action.”

Flying into rage Alex began to through multiple punches at Lintian.

Lintian welcomed all those punches like they were flying pillows. Lintian hoped that the physical pain would at the very least soothe the mental pain he was in. Except, Alex’s punches were so pathetically weak that it felt like someone trying to tickle him.

Diana watches all this and after seeing not an ounce of motivation in Lintian’s eyes she steps up and directly grabs Alex’s hands and pulled him back. Her cultivation was right now at the eighth of the refinement realm.

“Alex stop,” Diana said and then she turns her head towards Lintian. “I never thought you would be this weak. The day I meant you I thought you were weak too but you had this dazzle in your eyes that seems to say that no matter what obstacles come your way you will never back down.”

Lintian’s eyes flickered as martial realm aura floods out.

Not backing down she continues, “so what if your in Martial realm I’ll surpass you one day! Your just an empty shell of your former self. Stop moping over such a petty problem. My uncle and aunt had their whole family massacred and they still lived on to carry out their revenge. Just because of one little set back you can’t back up and avenge your family!”

“IF I COULD YOU DON’T THINK I WOULD!” Lintian roars out. It wasn't that he didn't want revenge it was because of a dilemma. The more powerful he grows the stronger the chance of being take over is. So if he begins his path of revenge he can never turn back. The chances of succumbing to the Asura would be higher. What about his original family that he promised he will come back too? What about his dead parents?

Misunderstanding the situation as Lintian admitting he doesn't have the power to exact revenge Diana replies in a stern voice, “you’re just a cower! If you could? If someone could who wouldn’t fight back! If they had the power who wouldn't fight back? You’re just a cower who lives in fear of the strong!” Diana was hoping to arouse his anger to fight on and live.

Every word were like daggers through his heart. If I could why wouldn't I fight back? Have I chosen to run away every chance I got? I never stood up and yelled out what I want. I, I, I just let things go with the flow. When Yuki was in front of Kyuri I was scare that I was only thinking about myself. When I was banned from my clan I just accepted their decision. Every single battle I fought so far is because I believed I was stronger than them. I never once fought someone I don't believe I can beat. Am I really a cower? (author’s note. So people’s image of themselves tend to assume the worse of themselves when they are in a sad or depress state. Memories get distorted a bit. Through there are still some truth in it.)

Seeing the uncertainty simmering in Lintian’s eyes Diana felt like she was getting through to him.

“My uncle said to me that courage isn’t just about standing up to someone and fight back. It is the determination, and will not to back down in front of absolute strength. Think about that when you’re here moping your sorry ass away while you let your family’s killer get away. Can’t believe I took a cower as my underling. Come on guys lets leave.”

Chelsie gave Lintian a worry glance and followed the others out the door.

Looking outside Lintian’s expression slowly turned back to the emotionless shell again. While his outside appeared to be an empty shell. Lintian’s mind pondered the question of courage.

Harris came in multiple times throughout the day to check on Lintian. Each time he saw Lintian’s expression it was like someone stabbing daggers through his heart. He want to just tell Lintian the truth or give him motivation such as revenge but Lintian was not a normal person. Revenge as a purpose for living is very dangerous for people like him. Sighing to himself he left.

As the sun set and the moon rise the room became as dark as the night. A little famine figure appears in the dark.

“Lintian,” this voice whispers. It was Xintong’s voice.

“Yes,” Lintian replies expression and emotionlessly.

“Are you ok?”

There was silent pause.

“Haha I guess that was a stupid question,” Xintong laughs trying to play it off. Seeing absolutely no reaction at all it worries her. Even through it was dark in here due to the moonlight she was able to see every single one of Lintian’s expressions. What happened to the enthusiastic, lively, happy, easily excited, strong, a bit overconfident at times, and charming boy that she knew a couple days ago. Naturally she knew what happened after she noticed that Lintian didn’t go to her matches but was asleep in a hospital. She used her authority to investigate the matter. To find out that the Tsukino family was gone. There was no sign of a struggle or anything. They just simply just disappeared.

“Why are you like this?” Xintong asks gently. “Why have you given up hope? If your family is gone why don’t you go find them?”

Lintian’s eyes turn dangerously chilling, “find them? How do you find dead people? I saw their deaths with my own eyes.”

Xintong could see the deathly glare but this was the boy that protected her and helped her so she was not afraid. Not even a bit.

“What do you mean they are dead? My investigation shows that they just simply vanished. There were no struggles at your villa.”

Lintian thought that she was lying to him to cheer him up and dismissed it. How could he not know what he saw with his own two eyes?

“You can leave,” Lintian said coldly, “I just wanna be left alone for now.”

“Okay. I just want to tell you that I am going back too the Confederate states of China tomorrow. When I am 15 I will be entering the Tian Academy. I hope to see you there one day,” Xintong said. She didn’t even see a flicker of change on his face. Then she simply vanishes from the room.

“Confederate states of China? Tian Academy?” Lintian whispers to himself as memories of his former home surfaces. As the hours dwindles and the moon shines brighter Lintian’s body glowed dark green as he slowly drifts off into a deep, deep slumber.

(This will be the end of book 1 ^^ Gonna take a couple days of rest and book 2 will begin on Monday or Tuesday. Thank you for reading so far. Leave a comment below of what you think so far or if there is a plot hole. Oh and to answer the question about the internet. They might have internet in this era but the problem comes from being the internet is easily traced or hack and if they do sent it immediately and that guy is watching then it be inviting bad news.)